A Song of Magic
by Vulkan
Summary: What if Harry Potter was born as the twin to Robb Stark? He is favored by the Old Gods and he will change the game of thrones.
1. Eddard I

**Chapter 1: Eddard**

Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, Warden of the North. That was him now. He preferred to be Ned, friend of Robert, second son of Rickard Stark of Winterfell, not his. He had never expected to become a Lord. It was his brother Brandon's right. So was his bride, Lady Catelyn of House Tully. Now, they were both his, a burden and an honor. He was only twenty years old and he often felt weary. His father and brother were murdered by the mad kind Aerys. He had fought a war alongside his close friend Robert Baratheon against the mad king and his son Rhaegar, who had kidnapped his sister Lyanna. Now even his sweet sister was dead. They won the war but he felt he had lost everything.

He was leading the northern troops back to their home. It had been a heavy war that brought many changes to the realm of Westeros. Robert had become King and killed Rhaegar Targaryen. Most of the Targaryens were dead, murdered or otherwise. Ned still could not understand how his friend could condone the murders of Rhaegar's children and the rape and murder of his wife Elia Martell. The Lannisters, Others take them, entered late into the way but finished it. Jaime Lannister killed the mad king, dishonoring his vows as a kingsguard. Tywin Lannister ordered the deaths of the remaining Targaryens in Kings Landing.

It still infuriated Ned when he remembered the scene of the great hall in Kings Landing; Jaime Lannister smugly sitting on the Iron Throne with the mad king lying bloody and dead in front of him. It was his kill. He should have been the one to pass justice on the mad king.

Ned shook his head trying to shake away the bad memories. He was now in sight of Riverrun where his lady wife was waiting for him with his sons. He looked forward to the reunion. They had had just a few weeks before he left for the war.

As they neared the castle, Ned called out to his friend Lord Howland Reed "Make camp with the men outside the walls. We shall rest here for the day."

"Yes my lord. Who shall I have accompany you into the keep?" the smallish man asked him.

"Leave Lord Karstark in charge of the camp. You and Greatjon shall accompany me" he replied.

"Of course my lord" came the reply. Howland was a good man and Ned was sure that he would not have lived at the tower of Joy if it had not been for this man.

Ned kept riding to the castle as his orders were carried out. Riverrun reminded him of a ship. It was peculiarly shaped with three sides and a tall central tower. He barely registered the tall figure of Greatjon Umber who joined him with Howland as he rode into the castle courtyard.

The shrewd lord of the Riverlands, Hoster Tully was waiting for him with his court. Ned could see his lady wife standing beside her father holding a baby with a maid holding his other son beside her. Once again, he was mesmerized by the beauty of Lady Catelyn and felt that she would have been a better match to his dead brother Brandon who was more handsome than him.

Stopping in front of the waiting retinue, he dismounted his warhorse and walked forward. He bowed his head at Lord Tully and greeted him "Thank you for hosting us Lord Tully. King Robert sends his regards."

"You are most welcome Lord Stark. I am glad that this dratted war is finally finished" replied Lord Tully.

Ned stepped forward and kissed the hand Lady Catelyn held out murmuring to her "Lady Catelyn."

She then presented him his first son for the first time "Your heir my lord husband."

Ned saw the red mop of hair on the sleeping babe and was overcome with feelings he could scarcely control. "His name my lady?" he asked.

"I was hoping you would honor him with a name my lord. He is to be the future lord of Winterfell after all" she replies strongly.

"Robb after Robert Baratheon" Ned replied without hesitation. "I hope you are not dissatisfied my lady, I had promised my friend that I would name my first born after him." He would have to send a raven to Robert about the good news. He would surely celebrate with a massive party at Kings Landing.

Ned removed his gloves and stroked the face of his son. He looked so small sleeping in his mother's arms; small and beautiful. He could see that he took after his lady wife with beautiful red hair.

"And his brother?" asked Ned looking at his other son in the hands of a maid.

The maid brought his son forward and Ned had to hold back a gasp. His other son, twin to Robb had pitch black hair and was watching him silently with startling light grey eyes. His son seemed to observe him and Ned could see the glimmer of curiosity. He had black hair reminded that him of his brother Brandon and his father Rickard, and his grey eyes were so light that they seemed to be the color of molten silver.

"What shall we call him lord husband" his wife prodded him.

Ned took his black haired son in his arms who was still quietly observing him and proclaimed "He shall be Harold. I thought to name him Brandon as he reminds me of my brother but I think Harold suits him better. It means 'mighty in war' or 'army leader' in the Old Tongue."

XOXOX

Ned continued his journey North after a day's rest at Riverrun. His lady wife and his sons rode in a wagon sheltered from the cold winds. After they crossed the Twins declining the hospitality of Lard Frey, the northmen began to return to their holds one by one. First was Howland who departed to Greywater Watch with his men. The mountain clans of Flint, Will, Norrey and Liddle were next. The men of Lord Manderly of White Harbor broke off at Moat Cailin. The rest of his men under various commanders left for their homes before he reached Winterfell.

The tall walls of Winterfell brought joy to his heart. He was unsure he would ever see it again during the war. His brother Benjen would be waiting for him. Ned sighed sadly. At least one person would be happy to see him.

After greeting the various lords and cleaning up at Riverrun, Ned had pulled his lady wife aside and shown her Jon. He could still see the hard look in her blue eyes as he told her that Jon was his bastard. It was quite an argument they had had. She had refused to hold him or care for him insisting that he be sent away. But Ned, beholden to his promise, denied her and stated firmly that Jon would stay with him at Winterfell.

Lord Hoster Tully surprisingly did not make a big deal out of it and left it to them to resolve the issue themselves. His lady wife's anger had burned hot and she still refused to speak with him, keeping his trueborn sons with her. He let her have her space as they travelled home hoping that she would come to accept his decision soon. The nursemaid he had hired at the tower of Joy cared for Jon along the trip.

Upon reaching the castle, he began the long process of settling into his home again after a long war. He visited the Heart Tree in the Godswood and prayed to the Old Gods. He had a long list of things to take care of, starting with his brother Benjen who was eager to join the Night's Watch. He also had to ensure the castle had enough provisions for everyone. The nursery had to be made ready for three babies instead of just his heir. All these things kept him away from his lady wife and sons for a few hours.

The following days were filled with many minor issues and attempts to get his lady wife to accept Jon into the household. Eventually, Lady Catelyn conceded but made sure to let him know that she would accept Jon as his son. He did not know what he had expected but he wanted to remain true to his promise. But he also wanted a marriage that was more than an arrangement between lords for men and supplies. He wanted to have a meaningful relationship with his ladywife.

XOXOX

**AN:** One small change is that Harry has light grey eyes instead of green eyes. Thanks to **Blorg13**, I realize that having light grey eyes is more Stark-like and green eyes reminds everyone of Lannisters in Game of Thrones.


	2. Catelyn I

**AN:** Thank you all for your support. I appreciate the reviews.

**Chapter 2: Catelyn**

It was not the life she had imagined for herself. Being the eldest daughter of Lord Hoster Tully, she knew it was her duty to marry into a household and bear good sons and daughters. At first, it was Brandon Stark, heir to the North she was to marry. But he was killed and she married to another man carrying the same title, heir to Winterfell. And then he became the Lord of Winterfell; Eddard Stark or Ned as he was called. While Brandon was called the 'wild wolf', Lord Eddard was called the 'quiet wolf'. After the debacle with Petyr and Brandon, she thought that her troubles with suitors were over. But a war had erupted that shook the seven kingdoms of Westeros.

Lord Eddark wedded and bedded her before riding off to war. He was gentle but she thought him dour and bleak. He was quiet and serious as his title suggested but thankfully he was not an abusive husband like she feared.

She was thankful that the brief few days they had together resulted in the birth of her beautiful sons. She was amazed that she was able to create such miracles. Though they were twins, her sons were different as night and day, more like sunrise and sunset. The eldest had the typical Tully features, red hair and blue eyes. He looked like a copy to her brother, both the dead ones and Edmure according to her lord father. He was proud that the Tully blood was strong. The younger twin had dark black hair and light grey eyes which almost seemed silver. She had heard from her lord father that Lord Rickard, her good father had black hair like that, so did Brandon. While her husband and the bastard Jon had dark grey eyes, her son had very light grey eyes. But they were both her sons and she loved them from the moment she held them in her arms.

She would have wondered if her sons were Brandon's given their coloring if she were not a maiden on her wedding night. Thankfully, Lord Eddard had proof that she was a maiden when he bedded her unlike her sister Lysa. Her sister had married Lord Jon Arryn, Lord of the Vale. She was amazed at her father's capability playing the Game of Thrones. He remained at Riverrun during the war but his daughters married into two of the great houses. He was also allied to the third great house of Baratheon since Lord Arryn fostered Lord Robert of house Baratheon along with her lord husband.

Like the words of her house, _Family, Duty, Honor_, she did her duty to her birth family and to her wedded family by birthing twin sons. She was glad that she remained at Riverrun for the birthing. She was grateful to her lord husband who had agreed to let her remain at her birth home until he returned from war.

She was proud and relieved that her husband had won the war. He was but twenty years old and had already fought a war as a Lord of a great house and won it. When he returned, she was waiting for him with their children. She was relieved to see him return from the war unharmed and healed.

She hoped that their twin children would help them connect again as husband and wife. Then he had dropped the big burden on her; his bastard, Jon Snow. She was infuriated. It was like he found a bed warmer immediately after he left her for war. Was he fighting a war or bedding whores?

It was not charitable of her but she refused to care for the baby. She had two children of her own to care for. She had not expected the man known for his honor to dishonor her by jumping straight from her bed to the bed of another. Now, he expected her to care for his bastard, a reminder that he deliberately dishonored her? She was a Tully, she would do her duty to her husband but she would not care for his bastard.

The vexing part was that her lord husband refused to tell her of the bastard's origins. She could not learn the name of the woman who had forced the honorable Eddard Stark to forsake his vows.

She refused to be treated as such. She was running the Tully household since her mother died years ago. She had learned from the best Septas that her lord father could bring to Riverrun. She would do her duty. She would go North to her husband's home and take charge of the household.

The travel North was taxing on her since she had yet to recover from the birthing. The wind was cold even though it was the fading months of winter. The men of the North were not prone to talking with the wife of their lord but she had a few kitchen helpers and handmaidens from Riverrun to keep her company.

Winterfell was an imposing castle. The first sight of its 80 foot outer walls and 100 foot inner walls made it seem like a formidable holdfast. It was certainly bigger and better organized than Riverrun. There was a deep moat between the walls and the gates were made of thick iron and steel. It was well manned and there were many servants and guards in the Stark household. There was a separate holding for each part of the household – kitchens, stable, smithy, Rookery, Library, Glass gardens, Crypts, Lord's keep, Great Hall and other things. She was astonished by the warmth permeated inside the holdings. She was told by her lord husband that it was due to the natural hot springs over which Winterfell was built over.

She was quite intimidated by the sprawling godswood inside the massive walls of Winterfell. It felt strange to her since she was a devout follower of the Seven. The Old Gods that her lord husband prayed to in the godswood made little sense to her. The nameless and faceless gods of the forest were not who she would ever adopt for herself.

The first few months were hard to adjust but slowly she began to understand the land and the castle. Everything was very different from her home. Her twin sons were her only constant source of joy in the strange land in those months. She spent all her efforts in caring for her children.

Her lord husband ordered a Sept to be built for her and she was grateful for the gesture. It was a place of comfort for her. It took some time for the household servants to accept her as the lady of the castle. The land was different and she had never tasted many of the foods served at Winterfell. Even though she felt like an outsider, she accepted Winterfell as her home within the year she arrived. By the time Spring arrived, she was proficient at running the Stark household.

XOXOX

The building of the Sept of the Seven started the reconciliation between herself and her lord husband. He made sincere efforts to make things comfortable for her and was genuinely respectful to her. He did not force himself on her or exercise his right as a husband on their bed. She began to see Lord Eddard as more than just a dutiful husband.

They bonded over their twin sons. The elder twin, Robb was a typical babe, always crying for attention and very fussy. He was cheerful babe at most times and quite loud. On the other hand, she could swear by the seven that her younger son was Lord Eddard reborn. He was quiet unless he needed feeding. Harold was also very curious and often seemed to listen to everyone around him. The strangest thing about Harold was that he consumed twice as much milk and food as Robb.

Both her children were very active and were crawling within their first year. Harold was even able to walk a few steps in that time. It was a great joy watching her children grow up.

As the years passed, she was grateful that the gods ordained Eddard Stark to be her lord husband. She birthed a beautiful daughter who was named Sansa. Apart from the issue of Jon Snow, they had a very happy marriage. She had come to love her lord husband whom she now called Ned.

Even though Jon Snow was the only child who had the looks of Ned, her children were cherished by her husband and the people of Winterfell. She still felt like a stranger in Winterfell but she hoped her children would grow and prosper in the large castle.

Sometimes she thought that the gods had scorned her because of all the children at Winterfell, Jon Snow was the only one with features eerily similar to Lord Eddard Stark – the grey eyes and dark brown hair. Her eldest child Robb favored the Tully look with crimson hair and blue eyes while Harold favored his grandparents with pitch black hair and silver eyes.

Therefore, when her daughter Arya was born during the Greyjoy Rebellion, she considered herself blessed. Arya was a female copy of her lord husband. She had brown hair and smoky grey eyes.

She was busy with taking care of her daughters and maintaining the household while her lord husband was away waging war against the ironborn. Her sons were growing sturdy and strong. She could not devote enough time for her sons as she desired but Maester Luwin cared for her sons adeptly. Robb was very rambunctious and rarely listened to any of his caretakers. He ran around Winterfell talking to anyone and everyone who would spend time with him. Robb liked to drag his brother around the courtyards to watch men practice swordplay. Harold or Harry as he liked to be called was very calm. He liked to spend time with Maester Luwin and Septon Chayle at the library. She hardly had time to keep track of her quiet son who seemed to be everywhere. Harry seemed to find interest in the kitchens, in the kennels, in the stable, in the library and in the smithy. She felt that such interests were not suited for a member of the nobility but the older servants and handmaidens all told her that her son Harry had the wolf-blood in him.

She had heard tales of wolf-blood among the household. Her good sister Lyanna and her good brother Brandon were said to have the wolf-blood. It supposedly made them hot-blooded and unpredictable. When she confronted Maester Luwin about the subject, he said it was a myth about house Stark. It was said that the members of house Stark born with wolf-blood were wild and uncontrollable; they were very stubborn and strong in their ways.

Being a follower of the Seven, she felt that these stories were just that, stories. The Old Gods that her lord husband followed made no sense to her. What did the stones, earth and trees have to do with gods? It was utterly baffling to her how so many in the North still followed the Old Gods of the forest.

She tried to teach her children the ways of the Seven. Her husband Ned was often busy with matters of the realm before riding off to war and thus, she had the most to do with their children's growth.

Robb dutifully followed her mother even though he was so young. Sansa was a precocious child who preferred to be carried everywhere and Arya was still a newborn babe. But Harry was intelligent. He asked questions.

She was conflicted when she watched her sons run around with the bastard. She wanted them to keep away from him but when her sons asked her the reason, she was could not find it in her heart to tell them about his status. She had hoped that Maester Luwin would have explained the issue to her sons but it was not to be.

It was tumultuous time in the Stark household. She was very grateful that her husband returned from the another war alive and unharmed. Catelyn was quite amazed that her husband was unharmed. Sometimes, she could not believe that Ned returned from so many battles with minor or no injuries and yet he was not as well known for his sword skill as Ser Jamie Lannister or Ser Barristan Selmy.

But it was not her place to ask. She was the lady of the house and she provided support whenever her husband needed it. She was grateful when her husband retuned and she dared not to ask about the war.

By the time the Greyjoy rebellion as crushed, she was truly accustomed to the Stark household and the North.


	3. Harold I

**BETA: Vasun05. A huge thanks for doing a great job and helping me with this chapter.**

**Chapter 3: Harold**

Harry Potter was quite disoriented when he first regained consciousness. He remembered parts of a conversation like a dream. He was dead by Ron's hand soon after the Battle of Hogwarts. He imagined that he met his parents who told him a few things and asked him to live his life. He had vague recollections of interacting with some gods who offered him a second chance because he was the Master of Death. He had another chance at a new life and family and he could save a few people if he put in the effort.

Honestly, Harry did not care for what he had been promised. As far as he remembered, his closest friend Ronald Weasley was the one who killed him. Harry was completely disillusioned with the wizarding world. He was alternatively a savior and a lunatic over the years. He was tortured, belittled and killed in the end by his first friend. The betrayals stung deeply and he had little to live for among the witches and wizards. He had had rare moments of joy before being led to an early death by the wizard he thought the world. His mentor, Albus Dumbledore scripted his death and Harry felt that no one apart from Sirius had cared for Harry himself. He thought he would be reunited with his parents upon his death and finally have a family. But his parents had convinced him that he was far too young still and that he should live life before joining them in death. The Potters swore they would be waiting for him when his time was up and the gods offered him a chance to go where he could do some good and have a life of his own. He agreed to the offer made by the gods but he was burdened with remembering his previous life as a savior of the wizarding world.

His awakening in the new world was less than stellar. He was a babe and he could hardly move his arms and legs. But he could feel the love his new parents had for him, something he never experience in his past life. They showered him with affection and he was well cared for by not just his parents but servants as well. He could barely remember the early days of his birth given how young his mind was. Concentration was a major issue in this baby form he now had, granted he didn't have much to do since he couldn't walk or even form words for a while.

By the time he was two years old, he could walk, talk using a few words and remember a few things. He was loved by his new parents and in truth they reminded him of his previous parents. He apparently had a twin named Robb who looked very different from him. His father was called Eddard who had dark hair like James but dark gray eyes instead of hazel. His mother was called Catelyn who had red hair like Lily and blue eyes instead of green. He also had another brother called Jon who was not well liked by his mother.

Harry was baffled when his parents were referred to deferentially by other people. They were Lord and Lady of a place called Winterfell in what is apparently the Northern region of the land of Westeros. He realized his parents were part of the nobility in this world. Winterfell was a huge castle in the North and the lands were almost always cold and it reminded him very much of the winters at Hogwarts. The castle itself was warm in many places and from what he understands it was built on natural hot springs so it was not as cold as the outside. Almost every structure in Winterfell was made from stone, wood or iron and given the fact that it is the capital of the North the castle was made strong.

Once he realized that, he paid more attention to the world around him. He learned a few astonishing things. He was no longer in a world that was similar to Earth. This new world or realm was still in the Middle Ages where the idea of a monarchy was still the ruling power and superstition was still believed as fact. The pinnacle of technology was still swords, bows and arrows though he had heard stories about wildfire and dragons from an elderly woman named Old Nan.

Harry never knew what it was to be normal. Being stuck as a babe when he was 18 years old was not fun. He learnt to adjust. He was always good at surviving. This was another bizarre chapter in his crazy life. He recalled his parents advising him to live his life to the fullest and that was what he was going to do.

XOXOX

By the time he was three years old, Harry had determined a few things in his new life.

Thankfully, the common tongue of Westeros was eerily similar to English, right down to the accents even. The written language was only slightly different than the English he was used to. This was quite helpful to him since he learnt that Winterfell had a library. He could not do much in the next year since he was still considered a child and was not allowed into the library. He was also too young to start his lessons. He hardly had anything to do. A young man in the body of a young child was a difficult concept to digest but he was coming to terms with it. Harry had never had a proper childhood previously. After Voldemort had killed his parents, the Dursleys treated him more like a servant than a child. Even the servants he currently saw in Winterfell were treated better. So, Harry decided to enjoy being a child for as long as he could.

Robb, Jon and himself tried to explore Winterfell whenever they could. It was an extremely large castle, even larger than Hogwarts. There were so many interesting places to explore and the trio of brothers would often cause mischief resulting in some scolding from their mother. All three of them ran around everywhere before their minders eventually caught them and forced them inside. Harry had never had toys in his previous life but he knew what kinds of toys were available. In this life, toys were wooden figurines and some iron pieces. They got boring quickly. It was more interesting to watch the blacksmith Mikken work at the forge to build just about anything and it was even better to see how the food was prepared in the kitchens since usually the house elves made him food.

Things were obviously very different from what he was used to. He was fascinated watching Mikken make everything from kitchen appliances to horseshoes to weapons and armor. He had never seen anything like it. In England, everything was available in a store and in the wizarding world many could actually be created or bought at Diagon Alley, some were even ordered and brought to by owl. Similarly, in the kitchen of Winterfell, everything had to be prepared from scratch. There was no packaged food that could be prepared. When hunted animals were brought in, the butcher skinned those animals and prepared the meat for consumption. Many of the foods he was used to were unheard of but many such as eggs, bacon and especially vegetables were the same. Harry could remember the numerous times his mother told him and Robb to eat their vegetables when they were old enough to. Eventually he did learn a great deal of this world simply by watching people at work.

His brother Robb often dragged them to watch men train with swords, shields and bows in the courtyards. There were so many other weapons in use too such as maces, spears, flails, hammers etc. It was a very novel experience for Harry since he had only seen magical combat until then. The Master-at-Arms was named Ser Rodrik Cassel. That was another thing Harry learned – knights were to be addressed as Ser rather than Sir. Unfortunately, they could never catch their father practicing in the courtyards and was later told that he kept the practices private in the godswood.

XOXOX

At five years old or five Namedays as it was known in Westeros, he started lessons with Maester Luwin along with his brothers Robb and Jon. It was utterly boring to Harry since he already knew how to read and write. Maester Luwin taught them to read, write and basic numbers. He did not understand the purpose of a Maester when he was introduced to the man. Was he an advisor, an educator or a caretaker? When he asked Maester Luwin about it, he was told about the Citadel and the duties of a Maester.

Harry soon befriended the Septon in charge of the Winterfell library, Septon Chayle. He was allowed to read some books for a little time every day if he wished. But his brothers more often than not dragged him from the library before he could get a few minutes of reading done. So he would sometimes sneak some books to his room and read them in the night.

On one of the journeys, he met Farlen, the kennelmaster at Winterfell. Harry had little love for dogs considering his previous experiences with Marge's dog Ripper and Hagrid's hellhound Fluffy. Both the dogs, disregarding the size difference tried to bite him. Fang, the docile dog of Hagrid had always slobbered all over him. Farlen taught him how to treat dogs and how to make them obey him. Robb and Jon were not that interested in learning about dogs but they liked to play with the puppies whenever a new one was born.

But the place where Harry spent the most time apart from his lessons was the stables. Hullen was the master of the stables and to Harry's extremely limited knowledge of horses, Hullan was extremely good at managing the horses. There were many horses at Winterfell. Almost all the grownups had horses apart from the household servants. The war horses were kept separately from the pack horses and the mares. There were many helpers at the stable, the simple minded Walder being one of them. Many of the other stablehands teased him but he was a strong, gentle soul. Harry liked to hang out with Walder, he was good company. Unfortunately he was not very bright and knew only one word – Hodor. That become his nickname in the castle.

Harry knew that Hodor was the great-grandson of Old Nan who told them stories and put them to bed every night. She was old but she was spry and sharp of tongue. Robb and Jon would fall asleep quickly but Harry lay awake as long as he could to hear the stories about the land he found himself in. There were so many things to learn about – the seven kingdoms, the Targaryen dynasty, the great houses, wars throughout the ages, older history about the first men, Andals, children of the forest, the old winter kings in the North etc. Harry was very interested in dragons when told about them but was sad to know that there were no more dragons in Westeros. Harry loved hearing all of those stories regardless of how bloody they were.

Harry was not allowed outside of Winterfell and he was forbidden to enter the godswood by his mother. It was a small but very old forest inside the castle walls. His father went in there regularly to pray to the old gods and clean his sword Ice after he used it to deliver justice to someone according to what he heard. He had heard Old Nan tell tales about the greatsword Ice. It was made of Valyrian steel and it supposedly had a smoky appearance with ripples along its surface. Robb was fascinated with the sword and would often claim that he would wield it one day as the Lord of Winterfell. It was taller than all of his brothers and sisters and very wide for a sword.

Harry loved his family most of all. His parents loved him. He had brothers and his sister Sansa was very cute. She had red hair like his mother and beautiful blue eyes. He loved playing with her when he was allowed. His mother Catelyn spend most of her time caring for little Sansa and managing the servants and other small things. His father, Eddard who wished to be called Ned by his mother, was often busy with matters of the castle and the land and people. He went out for days when he heard of bandits troubling the farmers and other small folk. But he still made time for Harry and his siblings whenever he could.

XOXOX

However in time Harry's peace was brought to an end when a raven came in the night. Harry could hear the rattling chains of Maester Luwin as he ran to his parent's chambers with the urgent news. The fact that the Maester ran out just as quickly troubled Harry as he slipped outside his room and heard his parent's shouting until he pressed his ear against the door and heard the conversation.

"You always have a choice Ned. You do not have to run off every time your friend Robert calls for you" he heard his mother's distraught pleading. He had never heard her sound so helpless in his life.

His father's voice was calm as he spoke "Robert may be my friend Cat, but he is also my King. And when a King calls, I must answer him." In that moment, Harry was reminded of the scene where a distraught Molly Weasley was pacified by a very calm Arthur Weasley.

"But you have a family now, you have three young children that love you. Please Ned, don't go." Harry could hear the pain in his mother's voice but he knew his father took his duties as Lord Stark very seriously but Harry was worried as to why the King sent for him.

"Cat, there are countless others just like me who are going to war. It would not do right for me to stay behind, protected by strong walls and surrounded by my family while others do not have the luxury. I must go. Ours is the old way, I would not ask another man to do what I would not be willing to do myself. You and the children will be safe here and I will have the armies of the six kingdoms with me." I could hear my Father comforting Mother as she sobbed.

His mother sounded resigned as she said "It's only been six years since last you rode off with Robert you returned to me a year later with another woman's son."

"You have nothing to fear my dear wife. Nothing like that will happen again. I will return to you and the children, I promise you" his father assured.

'War' that was the only conclusion Harry came to as he walked back to his room with a heavy heart. He had fought in many magical duels and several battles but they were all in one magical war and if there was one thing Harry knew it was this - war was hell.

Winterfell was loud and active when Harry woke the next day. Men were lugging swords, shields and other weapon from the armory to Mikken's smithy. Wagons were being prepared and already soldiers had started arriving.

Over the next few days, the weapons were inspected and repaired by Mikken and his apprentices. Horses were prepared. Wagons were brought refitted and loaded with food and other supplies. Many more men arrived who were temporarily lodged in Wintertown.

Finally it was the day of departure. Everyone had been busy with the preparations and his brothers had watched all this with curious glee. Harry though, was filled with dread.

Harry raced off to find his father and found him clad in his armor gathering some papers in his rooms. His father's armor has a full hauberk underneath and over it was a brigandine very similar to his normal vest only lined with metal plates. He wore metal pauldrons on his shoulders that could stop an axe along with metal vambraces on his arms. This was the first time Harry saw his Father in full armor and it was quite intimidating.

His father turned to him and his eyes softened. "Come here little one" he said in a warm voice.

"You're going to war aren't you?" Harry asked sadly as he saw his father flinch at how quickly his son understood.

"Aye. I suppose it was evident from all the preparations going on. Balon Greyjoy has rebelled against the Kind and I must..."

Harry couldn't take losing another parent again so he didn't let his father finish and blurted out "Please don't leave us father. I don't want you to die."

His father hugged him close and started carrying him to the courtyard. "Nothing will happen to me dear child. The gods will watch over me and I will have thousands of men to keep me safe. But I have to go pup. I have to do my duty" he whispered consolingly in my ears.

Harry felt tears flow down his cheeks as he hugged his father's neck tighter "I will miss you so much father. I love you."

"I love you too pup. I promise to return safely" his father replied. "When I am gone, I want you to obey your mother. I do not want you and your brothers to trouble everyone in Winterfell."

Harry sniffled and said "Yes father."

Now in the courtyard, his father lowered him to the ground and kissed his forehead saying "That's a good lad Harold."

Harry smiled faintly and replied "It is Harry father, how many times do I have to tell you."

His father smiled and ruffled his hair before walking to the guard who was holding Ice. He strapped it across his back and checked his knife and longsword on his belt.

His mother, brothers and sister were waiting near his father's huge warhorse. He watched as they said their farewells. Both his brothers and his sister were crying as his father hugged them and kissed them goodbye. His mother solemnly asked to come back safely.

Harry joined his mother and siblings while he watched the long column of soldiers ride to war with a large white banner bearing the Stark direwolf at the forefront.

XOXOX

The war against the Greyjoys unnerved Harry. He was scared for his father and no assurances from his mother or Maester Luwin satisfied him. He was so worried that his father would be injured or killed that he couldn't sleep peacefully.

Harry spent those months helping around the castle to keep his mind off of his worry. He loved to work with the horses and dogs. He tried to spend time watching people work in the kitchens and the smithy since he wanted to keep busy. He also read as many books as he could concerning the Ironborn and the Iron Islands to know more about the enemy his father was fighting.

It was during his many activities that he discovered the affinity he had with magical creatures in his old life had carried over when he was reborn. He could pacify normally aggressive or wild horses and feed and brush them with ease. They liked being around him and never misbehaved in his presence. They were easier to handle than the half-horse hippogriff Buckbeak. Dogs were simple and he learnt to make them obey him. He was well liked by Hullen and Farlen for his capability to handle the animals so efficiently at such a young age. He was still not allowed to ride the horses much to his frustration because of his age and height.

There was one bright spot in those bleak months – he had a new sibling, a new baby sister called Arya. She also had dark hair and smoky grey eyes like his brother Jon and his father. None of them were allowed to carry her but they were allowed to spend time with her when she was awake. Harry had to reassure Sansa a few times that their mother cared for them too since their mother spent so much time with Arya. Sansa got a new playmate called Jeyne Poole and they were supervised by Septa Mordane. Robb got more unruly and caused a lot of trouble since there was no one looking after him all the time. Jon tried to avoid creating issues but Robb got them into a lot of trouble frequently.

Harry did learn a great many things during those months about the reality of the new world he was in. Killing was common among men. Harry had never consciously killed anyone previously and he found the new state of the world a little difficult to digest. Everything required work and effort. Nothing was easy. Medicine was extremely limited. There was no technology. There was no rubber or plastic. Candles and lamps were used for lighting. Kings and Lords ruled the lands. Knights and tourneys were a mainstay of the realm. There was little in terms of entertainment apart from jesters, toys and tourneys. There were no common schools for children; only highborn children and some servants were educated beyond the basics.

There were so many things he could have made better if he knew how things were in England. But Harry was always a doer. He never asked the question why or how. He just knew how to use things and do things with them. He had never asked or learned how those things were made. For example, Harry knew gunpowder changed the entire scene of war during medieval times in England. But he did not know how it was made or how it was used in medieval times. Also, he knew that many metals were found and forged into things easily. The methods and metals were far superior to the ones he currently saw in Winterfell but he didn't know anything about it. He sometimes wished he had paid more attention during his time at school and learned more things like Hermione did. He had never been to any of the camps for kids since the Dursleys would not pay for it. He had led a fairly sheltered life in terms of life skills.

A few days after his sister Arya was born, Harry had his first case of accidental magic. He was very eager and happy to see his little sister again and in his hurry, he slipped on the stairs. Thankfully, his magic kicked in to save his life and he bounced off the stone steps and wall before stopping at the bottom of the stairs. People came running to see if he was alright but no one had seen him bounce off the stone thankfully.

Harry could not believe that he had forgotten about trying magic until then. He was not in any danger or distress previously unlike his experiences at the Dursleys and thus there were no magical incidents before. Of course Harry was also caught up in having a loving family for once in his life, so he didn't even think that his magic would come out differently. But once he realized that he still had magic, Harry started to try and perform some magic that he knew in his previous life. He did not have a wand but he knew he had performed magic without a wand in his old life. After many attempts, Harry could light a stick with a _Lumos_ spell. Seeing the fireless light, he was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

But he had to be wary. He had not seen anyone else performing any sort of magic at Winterfell. Apart from the old stories of the children of the forest and the kingdom of Valyria, he had not heard of magic being performed. He decided to be cautious and only practiced in his rooms. He became consistent with the _Lumos_ spell and he could control the brightness and the size of the light. He could on rare occasions, summon things to him. But the summoning spell did not work most of the time. Harry found that he lacked the focus needed to perform the spell consistently. He had to try and work out how to perform the other spells he knew since he had no wand and no tutor in magic. He had to find out how to do the magic.

By the time his father returned from the war, Harry had mostly stopped comparing every facet of his new life with the old one. He had accepted his new life and had decided to make the best of it. Harry may have been reincarnated or given a second chance by the gods.. it did not matter anymore. He had a new family and he had a new life away from his troubles in the wizarding world. Harry was no longer Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world and Voldemort's enemy. He was Harold of House Stark, son of Lord Eddard of House Stark and Lady Catelyn formerly of House Tully.

**AN: Another intro chapter. **


End file.
